22 Clever Ways to Transform Your Unused Bonus Room

Design a Great Home Office

Struggling to find a great workspace at home? Turn your bonus room into a home office. Once you make the switch, you can stop brainstorming from the living room, taking calls from the bedroom, and filing paperwork from the dining room table. Instead, you’ll have all the working space you need—and you’ll be able to shut the door when you need some peace and quiet.

Use the Space as a Laundry Room

If your home didn’t come with a designated laundry room, build one in your bonus room. Sure, you’ll have to do some plumbing work to pull this one off. But your future self will thank you the next time laundry day rolls around.

Dream Up the Perfect Playroom

Have little ones in your life? Turn your bonus room into a playroom straight out of your childhood dreams. Build a massive dollhouse, create a great tea party nook, and stock up on fort-worthy pillows and blankets. Then, finish things off with a few whimsical touches. (If you coat your walls in chalk paint, you can invite everyone who steps foot inside your playroom to leave a masterpiece on your walls.)

Treat Yourself to a Sprawling Closet

Low on closet space? Turn your bonus room into the walk-in closet you’ve always dreamt of. If your bonus room is small, you can fill the space with shelves and clothing racks. And if it’s big, let your imagination run wild. Could your closet benefit from wall-to-wall mirrors, some cozy lounge seating, or a glitzy chandelier?

Recreate Your Favorite Bar

If you love having people over for drinks, turn your bonus room into a home bar. Line your walls with well-stocked liquor shelves, invest in an eat-in bar, and make lots of space for cozy seating. Then, have some fun with it. Pay homage to your favorite bar with a bold backsplash or a neon sign, and embrace your inner mixologist every time you step behind the bar to make a drink.

Craft a Cozy Extra Bedroom

If all the bedrooms in your home are spoken for, consider turning your bonus room into a guest bedroom. The addition will make hosting overnight houseguests a whole lot easier.

Install a Stunning Indoor Pool

Don’t have the space to put a pool in your backyard? No problem—build an indoor pool in your bonus room, instead. Since pools tend to live underground, this won’t work in every bonus room. But hey—if you have some ground-floor space to spare, building a pool is a pretty luxurious way to use it.

Build the Mudroom You’ve Always Wanted

Mudrooms are a great way to keep your entryway clean and organized, and you can use your bonus room to get the mudroom you’ve always wanted. How? If your bonus room is near an entrance, turn it into a mudroom.

Craft a Cozy Movie Theater

One of the most classic things to do with a bonus room? Build your own movie theater. You can go all out with your movie theater—splurging on theater seats, snack stands, and a wall-to-wall screen. Or, you can use your movie theater as a second living room, filling it with sprawling couches, cozy blankets, and a massive TV.

Make the Perfect Poker Room

With a little imagination, you can turn your bonus room into a legendary poker lounge. Paint the walls a dark color, snag a great game table, and invest in a few cozy seats. Once you’ve finished things off with mood lighting and a well-stocked bar, you’ll be ready to host the best poker night in town.

Keep It Classic With a Library

If your shelves are always overflowing with books, turn your bonus room into a home library. Once you’ve stocked up on bookshelves, your work is basically done—though you may want to finish things off with some mood-setting wallpaper, an imposing chandelier, and a cozy place to sit.

What’s nice? Home libraries are surprisingly versatile, so you can use yours as a home office, a salon-style speakeasy, or simply a quiet retreat.

Indulge in an At-Home Sauna

A sauna isn’t a must-have in any home—but it’s definitely a nice-to-have. Line your walls with cedar, add a built-in bench, and invest in your heating mechanism of choice. Since this project is so involved, you’ll probably want to call in the professionals. (After all, when you’re dealing with heat and humidity, you don’t want to cut corners).

Invest in a Wine Cellar

Whether you’re an avid wine collector or simply an aspiring one, a wine cellar is a great thing to have. The room will keep your most splurge-worthy bottles in tip-top shape. Plus, you’ll have a fun place to take houseguests the next time you host a wine and cheese night

Create a Luxe Fireside Lounge

There’s nothing wrong with having more than one seating area, so turn your bonus room into an inviting lounge. With a fireplace and some cozy armchairs, you can create a sitting room that feels totally different from your living room, giving you another place to host houseguests—or just hang out in general.

Build Your Own Home Gym

Take your home workout game to the next level by building your own home gym. If cardio is your thing, snag a treadmill or an exercise bike. If you’re all about strength training, invest in some weight machines, and if fitness classes are your favorite, turn your bonus room into a fitness studio that rivals the one down the street.

Go All Out on a Game Room

Game rooms are always a good idea, and if you have an entire room to work with, you can go way beyond the classic board game cabinet. Invest in a ping-pong table or a pool table, snag the best board game table you can find, and build in space for the other games you like to play.

Erect Your Own Concert Venue

Building your own concert venue is a bold thing to do. But if you love live entertainment, enjoy having people over, and don’t know what else to do with your bonus room, it’s a decidedly fun option.

Build a small stage, invest in a good sound system, and leave space for a small mosh pit. Within no time, your bonus room will become the go-to spot for birthday parties, open mic nights, and other small-scale performances.

Turn the Space Into a Spa Bathroom

If your bathroom set-up leaves something to be desired, turn your bonus room into a stunning spa bathroom. Invest in a steam shower, a soaking tub, and a waterfall faucet. And invest in cozy details—like calming candles, hot towels, and plush robes—that make the space feel totally vacation-worthy.

Throw Together an Excellent Music Room

Great music rooms are hard to come by, but if jamming with your friends is a big part of your life, transform your bonus room into the ultimate music oasis. Invest in good acoustics and solid sound insulation, display your favorite instruments. And turn your sprawling record collection into décor.

Construct a Walk-In Pantry

Dealing with a kitchen that’s a little too small to meet your needs? Turn your bonus room into an overflow food storage space. This is a great solution for bonus rooms that are small and close to the kitchen—with a little creativity, they can become beautifully organized walk-in pantries.

Install a Full-Blown Basketball Court

One of the wildest things you can do with your bonus room? Build a full-blown basketball court inside it. Now, this won’t work with every bonus room. But hey, if you’re working with that kind of space—and if you really love basketball—it’s a truly transformative option.

Make a Killer Arcade

If a traditional game room just isn’t your thing, build an arcade instead. With a couple arcade games, some fun lighting, and a dark coat of paint, you can transform your bonus room into an arcade worth spending all weekend in. The beautiful thing about this?

While arcades may seem niche, they’re actually pretty versatile. The room can double as a home bar—and triple as a standard game room—giving you lots of ways to use the extra space.